{"id":28324,"date":"2012-11-08T12:07:45","date_gmt":"2012-11-08T19:07:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=28324"},"modified":"2021-02-04T23:50:34","modified_gmt":"2021-02-05T06:50:34","slug":"man-who-laughs-the-1928","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=28324","title":{"rendered":"Man Who Laughs, The (1928)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;A Comprachico surgeon carved a grin upon his face so he might laugh forever at his fool of a father.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Poster-187x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"187\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-28326\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Poster-187x300.jpg 187w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Poster-80x128.jpg 80w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Poster.jpg 580w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 187px) 100vw, 187px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nIn 17th century France, a young boy (Julius Molnar Jr.) whose mouth has been carved into a permanent smile as punishment to his disloyal father is adopted by a kind mountebank named Ursus (Cesare Gravina). Years later, Gwynplaine (Conrad Veidt) and a young blind woman named Dea (Mary Philbin) find themselves in love, but Gwynplaine is unwilling to let Dea touch his disfigured face; meanwhile a fun-loving duchess (Olga Baclanova) toys with the idea of having Gwynplaine as a lover, but is surprised to learn that he&#8217;s actually a nobleman who is rightful heir to her property.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Conrad Veidt Films<\/li>\n<li>Disfigured Faces<\/li>\n<li>Historical Drama<\/li>\n<li>Horror<\/li>\n<li>Mistaken or Hidden Identities<\/li>\n<li>Royalty and Nobility<\/li>\n<li>Silent Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nFormer German set designer Paul Leni made only a handful of films in Hollywood before dying far too young from blood poisoning in 1929. His best known titles as a director are the episodic German fantasy film <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=26120\"><em>Waxworks<\/em> (1924)<\/a>; a silent version of <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=4796\"><em>The Cat and the Canary<\/em> (1927)<\/a>; and his penultimate feature, this unexpectedly creepy horror-melodrama based on <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Man_who_laughs\">a novel by Victor Hugo<\/a>. There&#8217;s something inherently unsettling about facial disfigurement as represented on screen, with Georges Franju&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=2939\"><em>Eyes Without a Face<\/em> (1960)<\/a> perhaps epitomizing the sub-genre, and Hugo&#8217;s own <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=21225\"><em>The Phantom of the Opera<\/em> (1925)<\/a> offering a variation on the same theme of a disfigured man hiding his face from the sweet young woman he loves (played by Philbin in both films). Assisted by <a href=\"http:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/person\/152336|76063\/Jack-P-Pierce\/\">Jack Pierce&#8217;s<\/a> stunning make-up design, Veidt fully inhabits the role of the unfortunate Gwynplaine, whose face is etched into a permanent smile no matter what his mood; it&#8217;s difficult to describe exactly how disturbing his scarred visage is until one sees it flashed across the screen time and again. (Veidt&#8217;s appearance here was acknowledged as a direct influence on <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bob_kane\">Bob Kane<\/a>, who created The Joker for DC Comics.) <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Veidt2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Veidt2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"544\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-68837\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Veidt2.png 544w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Veidt2-300x221.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Veidt2-128x94.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Veidt2-367x270.png 367w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 544px) 100vw, 544px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Adding to the pathos of Veidt&#8217;s curse is the deeply disturbing backstory of how he received his disfigurement as a young boy; the thought of a group of malevolent gypsies known for causing permanent damage to young children chills me to my bones. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Sign.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Sign.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"544\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-68835\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Sign.png 544w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Sign-300x221.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Sign-128x94.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Sign-367x270.png 367w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 544px) 100vw, 544px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Indeed, the film&#8217;s opening sequences are its most powerful, with the remainder of the storyline occasionally bogged down by the complex &#8220;hidden identity&#8221; narrative arc, which detracts from the twisted love triangle between Veidt, Philbin, and Baclanova (looking eerily like Madonna), whose fetishistic desires compel her to toy with Veidt&#8217;s emotions; although she&#8217;s best known for her iconic work as the villainess in Tod Browning&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=1845\"><em>Freaks<\/em> (1932)<\/a>, she&#8217;s equally compelling in this role. Meanwhile, wild-haired Gravina brings unexpected pathos to his role as Gwynplaine and Dea&#8217;s caretaker, who comes across as refreshingly sympathetic and paternal rather than exploitative. Enormous credit for the film&#8217;s overall success, however, belongs to Leni and his behind-the-scenes crew, who film the entire storyline with Expressionistic flair, utilizing atmospheric sets and cinematography to effectively highlight the horror-driven drama behind Hugo&#8217;s narrative. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Conrad Veidt as Gwynplaine<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Veidt.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Veidt.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"544\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-28328\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Veidt.png 544w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Veidt-128x94.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Veidt-300x220.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 544px) 100vw, 544px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Olga Baclanova as the Duchess Josiana<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Baclanova.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Baclanova.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"544\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-28329\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Baclanova.png 544w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Baclanova-128x94.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Baclanova-300x220.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 544px) 100vw, 544px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Cesare Gravina as Ursus<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Gravina.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Gravina.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"544\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-28332\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Gravina.png 544w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Gravina-128x94.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Gravina-300x220.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 544px) 100vw, 544px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>The unsettling first portion of the film<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Early-Scenes.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Early-Scenes.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"544\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-28331\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Early-Scenes.png 544w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Early-Scenes-128x94.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Early-Scenes-300x220.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 544px) 100vw, 544px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Jack Pierce&#8217;s creepy makeup<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Makeup.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Makeup.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"544\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-28325\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Makeup.png 544w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Makeup-128x94.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Makeup-300x220.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 544px) 100vw, 544px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Atmospheric sets and cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Sets.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Sets.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"544\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-28327\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Sets.png 544w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Sets-128x94.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Sets-300x220.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 544px) 100vw, 544px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Cinematography.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"544\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-28330\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Cinematography.png 544w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Cinematography-128x94.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Man-Who-Laughs-Cinematography-300x220.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 544px) 100vw, 544px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as a truly compelling silent horror-melodrama &#8212; and for Veidt&#8217;s noteworthy performance. Listed as a film with Historical Importance and a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary&#8217;s book. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Genuine Classic<\/li>\n<li>Noteworthy Performance(s)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0019130\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moriareviews.com\/horror\/man-who-laughs-1928.htm\">Moria Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.popmatters.com\/pm\/review\/man-who-laughs-dvd\/\">Pop Matters Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/olgabaclanova.com\/the_man_who_laughs.htm\">Olga Baclanova.com Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s1001laugh.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/silent-volume.blogspot.com\/2009\/01\/man-who-laughs-1928.html\">Silent Volume Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/the-man-who-laughs\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;A Comprachico surgeon carved a grin upon his face so he might laugh forever at his fool of a father.&#8221; Synopsis: In 17th century France, a young boy (Julius Molnar Jr.) whose mouth has been carved into a permanent smile as punishment to his disloyal father is adopted by a kind mountebank named Ursus (Cesare Gravina). Years later, Gwynplaine (Conrad Veidt) and a young blind woman named Dea (Mary Philbin) find themselves in love, but Gwynplaine is unwilling to let&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=28324\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28324"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28324\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":68838,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28324\/revisions\/68838"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}